SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School, South Shields

Inspection of a good school: SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School, South Shields Olive Street, South Shields NE33 4RH

p.1

Outcome

SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School, South Shields continues to be a good school.

p.1

Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Maria Butt. This school is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Brendan Tapping, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Daniel O’ Mahoney.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this welcoming school. Staff and pupils say that the school community is like a family. The school cares well for its pupils. This is underpinned by the school’s Catholic ethos. Pupils have a trusted adult in school and feel safe.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for both pupils’ achievement and behaviour. Overall, an ambitious curriculum helps to ensure that pupils achieve well academically. Staff have fostered positive relationships with pupils and know them well. Pupils show positive attitudes to learning. They are keen to participate in lessons and behave well. Any pupils who find it difficult to regulate their own behaviour are given effective support.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many opportunities to take on leadership responsibilities that they are proud to have. These include house leaders, sports leaders and the school council. Pupils use these roles to contribute to community work and to lead assemblies on current issues. The school ensures that all pupils have access to a range of extra-curricular activities. Choir is very popular and pupils also enjoy attending various sporting clubs, computing club and games club.

p.1

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has recently worked on developing the curriculum. Some of this work has been in conjunction with the trust. The curriculum is ambitious overall. It sets out clearly the important knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils need to know and develop. The art curriculum, for example, now has a sharp focus on the development of pupils’ 26 and 27 March 2024

p.1

2

drawing skills and all of the associated knowledge that comes with this. Pupils’ artwork demonstrates how these skills build effectively over time.

p.2

2

In lessons, staff pick up any misconceptions pupils may have through skilful questioning. This helps to ensure any gaps in their knowledge are swiftly identified and addressed. In mathematics, however, while staff check that pupils understand what they are intended to learn before moving on, sometimes, pupils are not given enough opportunities to develop their mathematical problem-solving and reasoning skills. This hampers pupils’ progress in this subject. The school has already identified this and work is underway to address it. However, this approach is not yet fully embedded.

p.2

2

When children start in the early years, some children’s levels of development are lower than typical for their age. There is, rightly, a strong focus on developing children’s speech and language skills. Opportunities to develop these skills, along with early reading, writing and mathematics are all skilfully woven into day-to-day activities. This is helping children to make a good start to learning and to catch up. Children are well prepared for learning in key stage 1.

p.2

2

Reading is a high priority across the school. The implementation of the school’s phonics programme is consistently delivered by trained staff. Children in early years are introduced to nursery rhymes and stories. There is great enthusiasm for following actions and repeating parts of stories that they are familiar with. Children learn phonics as soon as they start in early years. Reading books closely match the sounds that children know. This is helping children get off to a great start with their reading. Any pupils who are finding reading difficult get the right help to catch up and keep up. Older pupils are supported to make progress with their reading. Regular assessment is in place. Pupils read books that are well matched to their ability. They enjoy selecting suitable books from the school library.

p.2

2

Pupils with SEND are welcomed in the classroom, and they play a full part in the life of the school. Teachers adapt activities so that pupils with SEND can learn the same things as their classmates.

p.2

2

Pupils rise to staff’s expectations to behave well and concentrate on their work. This helps to ensure that classrooms are calm and positive places to learn. The school, along with the trust, have established systems and procedures to ensure that pupils attend school regularly. While this has been effective in improving the attendance of some pupils, some pupils, including pupils with SEND, still do not attend school regularly enough. This hampers their ability to achieve well over time.

p.2

2

The school promotes pupils’ personal development well. Pupils learn about different faiths and beliefs. The school is ambitious that pupils’ horizons are broadened. The trips and visits that pupil go on often link directly to the curriculum. The school also ensures that pupils are taught to keep safe in their local community. Pupils learn about fundamental British values and about protected characteristic and know to be tolerant and respectful. 26 and 27 March 2024

p.2

3

The school and governors help staff to manage their workload effectively. They promote staff well-being with thought. Staff say that they appreciate the support provided by school leaders.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough. As a result, they miss too much learning to build their knowledge well over time. The school needs to further develop their approaches to managing pupils’ attendance, including their work with parents, so that pupils are not persistently absent.  In mathematics, pupils are not provided with enough opportunities to develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills. For some pupils, this hampers their ability to make the progress that they are capable of. The school needs to complete the process of embedding the planned curriculum effectively in mathematics.

p.3

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

p.3

Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2017.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 26 and 27 March 2024

p.3

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

Further information

In the report, ‘ disadvantaged pupils ’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 26 and 27 March 2024

p.4

School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.5

Information about this school

 The school is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Academy Trust.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school is of a Catholic religious character. The last section 48 inspection took place in October 2017.  SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School converted to become an academy school in May 2021. When its predecessor school, also called SS Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. 26 and 27 March 2024

p.5

6

 The inspector met the CEO and trust leaders.  The inspector spoke with governors and the vice-chair of the trust.  The inspector listened to pupils in Reception and Years 1 and 2 read to an adult. The inspector visited story time in Nursery.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered key documentation, including school development plans and minutes of governors’ and trustees’ meetings.

p.6

6

 The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. The inspector met with school leaders to discuss how they respond to behaviour incidents and pupils’ attendance.  The inspector considered the responses to the staff survey and Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. The inspector also considered two written communications from parents.

p.6

Inspection team

Jessica McKay, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 26 and 27 March 2024

p.6

7

regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7